| Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | San Fernando |
| Country |  |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
The Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help [1] [2] or simply Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a religious building located in Harris Promenade in the town of San Fernando, [3] on the island of Trinidad, part of the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago.
San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando, is the second most populous municipality in Trinidad and Tobago, after Chaguanas and the most populous city. It occupies 19 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad. It is bounded to the north by the Guaracara River, the south by the Oropouche River, the east by the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway, and the west by the Gulf of Paria. The former borough was elevated to the status of a city corporation on 18 November 1989. The motto of San Fernando is: "Sanitas Fortis" - In a Healthy Environment We Will Find Strength. Many local Trinidadians refer to the city with the shortened name "Sando." San Fernando is called Trinidad and Tobago's "industrial capital" because of its proximity to the Pointe-à-Pierre oil refinery and many other petrochemical, LNG, iron and steel and aluminium smelters in places such as Point Lisas in Couva, Point Fortin, and La Brea.
Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a twin island country that is the southernmost nation of the West Indies in the Caribbean. It is situated 130 kilometres south of Grenada off the northern edge of the South American mainland, 11 kilometres off the coast of northeastern Venezuela. It shares maritime boundaries with Barbados to the northeast, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the northwest, Guyana to the southeast, and Venezuela to the south and west.
The temple follows the Roman or Latin rite and functions as the pro-cathedral (or temporary cathedral) of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Port of Spain. He received the status of a cathedral by decision of Pope Benedict XVI in August 2012. [4]
Pope Benedict XVI is a retired senior prelate of the Catholic Church who served as head of the Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Benedict chose to be known by the title "pope emeritus" upon his resignation.
The building began as a wooden church in 1838 which was completed in 1849. In 1948 it was demolished so that in 1950 it was rebuilt in Romanesque style in 1975, was renamed the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, name that is he incorporated the title of pro-cathedral later.
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin that resists compression. Wood is sometimes defined as only the secondary xylem in the stems of trees, or it is defined more broadly to include the same type of tissue elsewhere such as in the roots of trees or shrubs. In a living tree it performs a support function, enabling woody plants to grow large or to stand up by themselves. It also conveys water and nutrients between the leaves, other growing tissues, and the roots. Wood may also refer to other plant materials with comparable properties, and to material engineered from wood, or wood chips or fiber.
A church building or church house, often simply called a church, is a building used for Christian religious activities, particularly for Christian worship services. The term is often used by Christians to refer to the physical buildings where they worship, but it is sometimes used to refer to buildings of other religions. In traditional Christian architecture, the church is often arranged in the shape of a Christian cross. When viewed from plan view the longest part of a cross is represented by the aisle and the junction of the cross is located at the altar area.
